Science

The entrance to Sutter Davis Hospital in Davis, Calif. Sutter Health has hospitals in more than 100 communities in Northern California; it reported $11 billion in revenue last year, with an operating profit of $287 million.

Big California Firms Take On Health Care Giant Over Cost of Care

9:23am April 07, 2016

by Chad Terhune

Sutter Health's network has 24 hospitals and more than 5,000 doctors in Northern California — a huge share of the health care market. Big employers say Sutter has too much clout in setting prices.

Steven Jones, plant manager at EnerSys in Warrensburg, Mo., stands in the "transition room" where there is no lead before stepping onto the factory floor. EnerSys manufactures lead batteries.

Before It Was Dangerous, Lead Was The Miracle Metal That We Loved

5:53pm April 06, 2016

by Frank Morris

Lead, the "useful metal," was the pride of the Romans. For the last 5,000 years, it was used in products ranging from water pipes and makeup to wine — until we discovered how poisonous it is.

Supermassive Black Holes May Be More Common Than Anyone Imagined

4:41pm April 06, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

A black hole with about 17 billion times the mass of our sun has turned up in another remote galaxy. Astronomers now think these mass-eating monsters may not be so rare after all.

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Researchers Work To Identify Bones Of Americans Who Died In Korean War

4:35pm April 06, 2016

by Jay Price

At a military lab in Hawaii, researchers are solving a puzzle. Thousands of bones in 208 boxes — the bones of Americans who died during the Korean war — are all mixed together. Identifying those who served is nearly impossible. Now after more than two decades, new forensic technology is making it possible. And it's just in time for the remaining brothers and sisters of those who died in Korea more than six decades ago.

Former Energy CEO Don Blankenship Sentenced To 1 Year In Prison

4:35pm April 06, 2016

by Ashton Marra

A former coal executive was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison and fined $250,000. In December, ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was found guilty of conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws.

In A Corner Of Southern California, Cauldrons Of Muddy Water Bubble

4:35pm April 06, 2016

"The World According to Sound" podcast brings us to Southern California near the Salton Sea where unique geothermal conditions allow for "mud pots" — caldrons of thick, muddy water bubbling with the release of hot water and gas from deep underground.

Science

How Decedents' Quality Of Life At The Time Of Death Affects Others

4:25pm April 06, 2016

by Shankar Vedantam

Research indicates when a partner dies happy and contented, that stays with the other person a long time, but when a partner dies unhappy and in pain, those feelings stay with the other one, too.

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Cassandra Steptoe (center) rehearses a performance with fellow actresses as part of The Medea Project, in San Francisco. Steptoe wrote and performs an autobiographical monologue in the production about being HIV-positive.

Theater Helps This HIV-Positive Grandmother Transform Lives

5:00am April 06, 2016

by Farida Jhabvala Romero

Writing her own story, with support from peers, helped Cassandra Steptoe shed the shame she felt in her diagnosis and find psychological healing instead. Now she's inspiring others to do the same.

The women of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped launch the first American satellites, lunar missions and planetary explorations. Those "human computers," as they were called, are seen here in 1953.

Meet The 'Rocket Girls,' The Women Who Charted The Course To Space

5:56pm April 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

Before there were digital computers, there were "human computers," women who used pencils and paper to do the math that helped carry the U.S. into space. Nathalia Holt tells their story in a new book.

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UVA Study Links Disparities In Pain Management To Racial Bias

5:53pm April 05, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks to Kelly Hoffman, a doctoral student in social psychology at the University of Virginia. Hoffman recently published a paper that links disparities in pain management to racial bias.